Bottle stopper



Dec. 18, 1956 D. ROBB BOTTLE STOPPER Filed Sept. 21. 1953 FIG. I.

INVENTOR. Don 71. 0515 BY mm cl- United States Patent 'BOTTLE STOPPERDon Robb, Cincinnati, -Ol1io, assignor to Schenley Industries, Inc., NewYork, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application September 21, 1953,Serial No. 381,300

7 Claims. :(Cl. 215-48) This invention relates to an improved bottlestopper, and embraces novel methods of manufacturing the same.

The particular embodiment of the present invention which is illustratedin the drawings and which will be described hereinafter in greaterdetail, comprises generally a headed shank having an outstandingshoulder adjacent to and facing away from the head, a recessed shoulderon a distal shank portion facing toward the head, a shell surroundingthe shank for engagement in a bottle opening, and a ring seated on therecessed shoulder for retaining the shell on the shank.

There are, of course, :many kinds of bottle stoppers known to thoseversed in the art, but such devices have not proved entirelysatisfactory. One notorious type :of bottle stopper is that formed ofsolid cork, which type requires the use of a cork screw orrotherwithdrawing means, and which is readily subject to chipping andbreaking, often leaving a portion in the bottle. Another common type ofbottle stopper is that formed wholly of glass, usually provided with anintegral handle. Glass stoppers have been found unsatisfactory as'theyfit poorly in bottle openings when manufactured by mass productiontechniques, and for their tendency to stick in the bottle openings.Further, glass stoppers have been found subject ot extremely highbreakage during transportation and other handling. Another well knowntype of bottle stopper is that which includes an exteriorlythreadedshank of glass or other suitable material and in'threaded engagementwith a covering of cork or other yieldable material. In this type ofbottle stopper, the internal, cork screw threads rapidly becomestripped, so that withdrawal of the shank from the bottle opening willnot effect removal therefrom of the cork or-ot'her covering.

Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to providea bottle stopper'which eliminates the above mentioned difficulties, andwhich is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, being composed-of simpleparts made within wide tolerances.

It is another object 'of the present invention topro'vide a bottlestopper of "the type described wherein normal inserting and withdrawingmanipulations serve to elfectively seal and unseal a bottle opening, andin which the stopper :is readily removed, in its entirety, from a bottleopening.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a novelmethod of manufacturing in which a bottle stopper may be permanentlyassembled by a single operation.

It is a more particular object of the present invention to provide abottle stopper of the type described in which the yield'able shell isheld in substantially uniform compression during removal from the bottleopening, thereby assuring removal of the shell without damage thereto.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a bottlestopper having the characteristics mentioned above in which novel meansare-provided'to expand the shell or sealing element against the wall 'ofa bottle opening for sealing the latter, and for contracting the shellto M ice permit removal of the stopper from the bottle opening.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent upon readingthe following specification and .referr 'ing to the accompanyingdrawings, which form a material part of thisdisclosure.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction andcombinations and arrangements of elements and method .steps, which willbe exemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of whichthe scope will be indicated by the appended claims. I

In the drawings:

Figure l is an elevational view showing a'bottle stopper constructed inaccordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an exploded, sectional view showing the elements of the bottlestopper of Fig. 1;.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of one of the elements of the opp 7 Fig. 4 is apartial, sectional view showing the relative positionsof the stopperparts during assembly and use; and

Fig. 5 is 'a partial, sectional view showing the relative positions ofthe stopper parts during nonuse.

Referring nowmore particularly to the drawings, the embodiment of theinvention illustrated therein comprises a lshank or stem, generallydesignated 10, having ahead or .handle .11. The head may be spherical orother desired shape, and may be provided with any preferredornamentation.

Adjacent to the head .11, the shank 10 is formed with an outstanding,peripheralshoulder or abutment-12, which merges as at 13 with the headand has its laterally extending .surface 14 facing away from the head.It will be observed, see Fig. 2, that the abutment surface 14 slopesupward and outward from the shank 10.

The shank 10 is formed with a slight taper towards its free .end 15, sothat the shank cross section decreases outwardly, fora purpose appearinghereinafter. Adja cent .to the free orprojecting shank end 15, andspaced inwardly therefrom, is .formed a reduced portion or groove 17,which defines an annular, recessed shoulder 18 substantiallyperpendicular to the shank axis and facing toward the head 11. Thegroove 17 is also formed with a generally conical wall portion 19merging with the shank 10. While it is preferred to form the shank 10,shoulder 12, and head 11 integrally of glass, it is appreciatedthatother suitable designs and materials may be satisfactorily employed.

A tube or shell, generally designated 29, is circumposed about the shank10, between the shoulder 12 and groove 17. The shell 20 has its internalsurface 21 slightly tapered from the upper end 22 to the lower end 23 toconformably engage the shank l0, and has its outer surface 24 slightlytapered for easy insertion in the neck of a bottle. The said internalsurface 21 and outer surface 24 of said shell 20 can of course bestraight or tapered asdesired. The shell 20 is preferably formed ofyieldable, somewhat resilient material, such as cork or the like, andhas its upperend 22 in abutting engagement with the surface 14 of theshoulder 12, see Fig. 1. In its uncompressed condition, the shell 20 hasits lower end 23 overlying the groove 17.

.Also circumposed about the shank 10 is an annular member or ring,generally designated 25, having an internal rib 27 received in thegroove 17. The ring 25 .and rib 27 are preferably formed integrally ofsuitable resilient material, such as polyethylene or the like. Theinteriorring surface 28 is shaped to conformably engage with the shank10, and the exterior ring surface 29 decreases in thickness from theupper end 36 to the lower end '31 to facilitate insertion and removalfrom a bottle opening.

ing a downwardly and inwardly extending upper wall 32 oblique to theaxis of shank 10, and a generally flat lower wall 33 normal to the shankaxis. Thus, the rib upper wall 32 is generally conical in configurationfor sliding engagement over the free end 15 of the shank 10, and the riblower wall 33 is adapted to conformably seat on the recessed shoulder18. As seen in Fig. 5, the upper end 30 of the ring 25 is adapted toabuttingly engage the lower end 23 of the shell 20 when the rib 27 isseated on the shoulder 18. In addition, the dimensions of the shell 20and ring 25 are so designed with respect to the distance between theshoulders 12 and 18 that the shell and ring are under a predeterminedcompressive force when in assembled condition.

In order to assemble the stopper, it is first necessary to slide theshell 20 over the projecting end 15 of the shank so that the upper shellend 22 engages the surface 14 of the shoulder 12. The ring 25, beingresilent, may then be forced over the free end 15 of the shank intoengagement with the lower end 23 of the shell 20 until the rib 27 snapsinto the groove 17. It will be noted that the width of the groove 17 issomewhat greater than that of the rib 27, so that when the rib becomesdistended longitudinally of the ring during assembly, it may still berereceived in the groove. This longitudinal distention of the rib 27will require that the shell 20 be compressed and moved upwardly beyondits normal position. Fig. 4 shows the position of the shell 20 and ring25 just after the rib 27 has snapped into the groove 17. The shell 20will then expand longitudinally to its normal, slightly compressedcondition, shown in Fig. 5, with the rib 27 seated on the shoulder 18.While the angular shape of the rib 27 permits circumposition of the ring25 over the projecting end 15 of the shank by distention or deformationof the rib toward the ring end 31, it will be apparent that distentionor deformation of the rib toward the ring end 30 will be inherentlyrestrained, to thereby prevent removal of the ring, and consequently ofthe shell, from the shank.

In operation, the stopper is inserted in a bottle opening in theconventional manner so that the outer tapered shell surface 24 engageswith the walls of the bottle opening, the shell being somewhat yieldableto conformably engage the bottle opening walls and effectively seal theopening. Continued inward movement of the head 11 will serve to slightlycompress the shell 20 and move the tapered shank 10 longitudinallyinward with respect to the shell, into the position shown in Fig. 4. Asthe tapered shank 10 moves inward with respect to the shell 20, theincreased shank cross section will serve to expand the shell radially toeven more effectively seal the bottle opening and prevent leakagetherethrough.

When it is desired to remove the stopper from the bottle opening, thehead is drawn away from the bottle so as to slide the shank 10 outwardlywith respect to the shell 20. This operation will move the shell 20toward the shank end to the position shown in Fig. 5, and, as the shanktapers toward its projecting end, the expanding pressure on the innershell surface 21 will be removed to permit contraction of the shell awayfrom the wall of the bottle opening. In this manner, removal of thestopper from a bottle opening may ordinarily be effected with ease.However, if the shell tends to stick to the wall of the bottle opening,the ring 29 will exert a compressive force on the shell tending to ejectthe latter from the bottle. As the shell 20 is under substantially purecompression, it is apparent that fracture or chipping will not occur,such as would result from bending or other stresses. Further, as thering which exerts the compressive force is resilient, such force will bedistributed substantially uniformly over the shell 20. For example, ifit is attempted to withdraw the stopper at an angle with respect to theaxis of the bottle opening, the ring 25 will be deformed or contractedmore on one side than on the other so that the upper end 30 engagescompletely around the elO 4 lower shell end 23 to distribute the forceuniformly to the shell.

From the foregoing, it is seen that the present invention fullyaccomplishes its intended objects, and provides a. bottle stopper andmethod of manufacturing the same which are well adapted to meetpractical conditions of use.

Although the present invention has been described in some detail by wayof illustration and example for purposes of clarity of understanding, itis understood that certain changes and modifications may be made withinthe spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A bottle stopper comprising a head, an outwardly tapering shankprojecting from said head, an outstanding peripheral shoulder on saidshank adjacent to said head and facing away from the latter, there beinga peripheral groove formed in said shank adjacent to and spaced from theprojecting end thereof, an open ended yieldable shell circumposed aboutsaid shank and having one end in abutting engagement with saidoutstanding shoulder, a resilient ring having an internal rib andcircumposed about said shank with said rib seated in said groove forlongitudinal movement relative thereto, said ring being of less externaldiameter than the shell and said ring having anend in facial contact andin abutting engagement with the other end of said shell for exerting acompressive force on the latter during removal from a bottle opening.

2.'A bottle stopper according to claim 1, said shell being movabletoward the projecting end of said shank against the restoring force ofsaid resilient ring, said shell thus. being movable to a shank portionof less cross section to permit movement of said shell away from thewall of a bottle opening. i

3. A bottle stopper comprising a head, an outwardly tapering shankprojecting from said head, there being a peripheral groove formed insaid shank adjacent to and spaced inwardly from the projecting endthereof, an open ended yieldable shell slidably circumposed about saidshank, said shank being slidable with respect to said shell to expandand contract the latter for sealing and unsealing a bottle opening, anda resilient ring having an internal rib and circumposed about said shankwith said rib seated in said groove, said ring being in engagement withsaid shell to prevent the removal of the latter from said shank, thegroove having a side wall facing the head and disposed normal to theaxis of the shank and on which the rib is seated to urge the ring intoengagement with the shell, said rib being narrower than said groove topermit movement of said ring and shell relative to said shank.

4. A bottle stopper according to claim 3, said rib being angular insection having one wall oblique to the axis of said shank and anotherwall normal to said axis, said oblique Wall permitting slidingengagement of said ring.

over the projecting end of said shank, and said normal wall beingengageable in said groove to prevent outward movement of said ring andbeing seated against said side wall of the groove.

5. A bottle stopper comprising a shank having opposing ends and havingan outstanding shoulder at one end and a circumferential groove adjacentthe other end, said groove having a side wall facing the shoulder, anopen ended yieldable sleeve circumposed on the shank and bearing at oneend against the shoulder and being slidable relative to the shank, and aresilient ring circumposed on the shank and having an inner end infacial 7 contact with and bearing against the adjoining end of theReferences Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS MillerJuly 24, 1894 Clair May 4, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain of 1889Great Britain of 1899 Great Britain Mar. 9, 1925 Switzerland Aug. 1,1933 France Sept. 4, 1933

